20 Year Reunion
by SporksFace19
Summary: It's been 20 years since the Titans have split up. In that time they got married, had kids, lived their own lives. It's been quite a while since any of them heard from each other, but someone's about to change all that. R&R PLZ! UPDATED!
1. 20 Years Later

A/N: This is a story I just thought up and I know there are probably 1000 stories like it, but I'm gonna try it out. If you don't like it, tell me and I'll remove it and make room for another story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans but I do own the plot and characters I made up and you can't have them.

Chapter 1  
20 Years Later

Robin stared out the window of his two-story house. The leaves on the trees were changing colors and slowly fluttering down onto the sidewalk. Down below, his two oldest sons, Chris and Matt, were raking the leaves. With every leaf that would fall, you could hear a resounding "AWWW!"

His oldest daughter, Aaralyn, sat at the piano holding Zoë, the baby of the bunch. She would hit a key and try to get Zoë to do the same. With every attempt, Dustin, the youngest boy, would roll his eyes and sigh, exasperated.

Though the swinging door, Andy was helping Star in the kitchen. Every once and a while, he would hear a plate shatter or smell something burning but nothing too alarming would ever happen.

"All right, Zo, let me show you how to play 'Mary had a Little Lamb'," Aaralyn said, then began playing it, her hands moving quickly and gracefully across the ivory keys. Zoë smiled adorably and clapped.

"The things that amuse small minds," Dustin said, moving from the couch to put away his book.

"Geez, Dustin, can't you _ever_ say anything positive?" Aaralyn asked, turning from the keys.

"Can you wear something that is _not blue?" _Dustinsnapped and pulled another large book from the library of the novels in the vast oak bookcase. Robin laughed to himself and couldn't help but be reminded of Raven.

Robin couldn't even remember everything exactly...all he remembered was they stuck together for a while. If they weren't stopping bad guys, all of the Titans just hung out, but as soon as Slade was killed, things changed. Raven left...and then Starwent to visit her planet. Then they all slowly one by one...just...quit. Their bonds of friendship, of being the Teen Titans, broke, and they were all focusing on themselves. Robin remembered getting an occasional phone call or letter from a member of the Titans, but it was never long. Maybe it was out of boredom...but now, 20 years later, he had no idea how any of them were doing.

Robin felt a small hand on his knee. "Daddy, you okay?" Zoe's small voice asked. He smiled and picked her up, then set her on his knee.

"I'm fine," he replied. She turned her attention to the newspaper in front of him.

"What are you reading?"

He closed the newspaper and folded it up. "Nothing, just boring old Daddy stuff."

"Read it to me," she asked him, turning her two bright green eyes to him.

"Oh, cookie, you'd be bored," he replied. He put his nose against hers, her dazzling blonde curls pressed against his face.

"Please?"

"Why don't I read you something else?" he got up and carried her over to the section of the bookshelf where all of the children's books were kept. She ran her finger across the row of books, put her tiny finger on the spine of a small purple book and handed it to him. He sat down on the navy blue couch and began reading out of the book.

"The Wonderful World of-"

He was interrupted by the thunder of footsteps in the front.

"AUNT KAITE'S HERE! AUNT KAITE'S HERE!" Chris's voice boomed through the house. Zoë completely forgot about the book and zoomed to the front of the house. Aaralyn quickly slid out from behind the keyboard, and Dustin marked his page in the book before making his way to the entryway. Andy, the last to hear, threw off her small white apron and zipped to the front.

Zoë was the first to reach the front. "AUNT KAITE!" she squealed excitedly, launching herself at the young woman at the door. Her green jacket, which coincided with her green sweatpants and yellow t-shirt, was too long for her arms, causing it to hang over her hands a little. The young woman caught Zoë and tossed her high into the air.

"Oh, Zoë baboey!" she cried, snuggling the tiny girl. The other kids caught up quickly.

"AUNT KAITE!" they yelled, surrounding her. She smiled and bent down on one knee, letting Zoë down. All the kids yelled indistinct things at her; she answered all of the questions completely on target.

"Kids, Aunt Kaite only has two ears," Robin said, silencing the kids. Kaite glanced up with dark blue eyes, pushing her hair behind her ear.

"Hey!" she yelled, throwing her arms around him.

"Hey, Kaite. What's up?" he asked, returning the hug and brought her inside.

"Not much. And you?" Kaite smiled.

"Same old stuff, different day. _What did you do to your hair?_" he asked, running his fingers over the neon purple edges of her long straight black hair. She shook her head.

"You like it?" she asked.

"It's a little wild, butI guess it's okay," he said, leading her into the living room. Starfire looked through the archway and spotted Kaite. She whooshed over to Kaite and gave her a bone-crunching hug.

"Oh, Kaite! I am elated to see you again!"

"Yea, great to see you again too, Kori," Kaite replied in an extremely strained voice.

Starfire released her hug and glanced over at the kids, whom had been unusually quiet since Robin had greeted Kaite.

The kids gawked at the gift wrapped boxes in front of them. They were a bit unsure of what to do. Finally,Aaralyn spoke up.

"Aunt Kaite, are these for us?"

"Yep. Consider them your early Christmas presents," Kaite replied.

"All right!" they all cried, each scrambling to find which box was theirs.

"You didn't have to get them anything, Kaite," Robin told her.

"Of course I do. Those kids are like my nephews and nieces. Aren't I allowed to buy gifts for my little munchkins? In fact, I didn't even buy them. So chill."

"AWESOME COSTUME, AUNT KAITE!" Chris yelled, holding up a red and yellow suit and black boots.

"KAITE!" Robin yelled. Kaite laughed.

"Relax. I wrote on the card that they could use them as their Halloween costumes."

"Halloween costumes seem like a really strangeChristmas gifts," Robinsaid suspiciously.

"I was short on cash and I know they like Halloween."

"Is that all?"

"Yes. And don't you dare interrogate me or I won't tell you why I came."

The oven bell dinged andAndy ran after it. She pulled out two large pizzas.

"Kids, dinner!" Robin yelled. Chris and Matt set nine disposable plates on the table; Aaralyn and Zoe put napkins under each plate; Andy and Dustin pulled out nine sets of plastic forks and knives. All of them took their seats at the table and waited for their parents and Kaite to sit.

Dinner seemed to go by extremely slowly. Chris launched a hunk of pizza in Aaralyn's hair, thenlaunched another at Andy, whoknocked her drink over into her lap; the two girls ran off whileChris got chewed out by Robin. Meanwhile, Dustin and Zoë argued over the last slice of pizza until Matt ripped it in half, causing the twins to fight over who had the bigger half.When dinner was finally over, the kids cleared the table and headed up to bed.

Kaite, Star, and Robin plopped onto the couch. "To what do we owe this visit, Kaite?" Robin asked.

"Well, I had the kids'Christmas gifts, and I hadn't heard from you in a while."

"Nothing else?"

"Oh, yeah! You'll never guess who passed by the shop today!"

"Who?" Robin and Star asked in unison.

"Cyborg!"

"Whoa! I haven't seen him in forever!" Robin exclaimed a little loudly.

"Shh! The children," Star said quietly.

"Oops..."

"I know, it's been almost 20 years. I was only 3 last time I saw all of you together," Kaite laughed.

"How are they?" Starfire asked,

"You probably won't be surprised, but he's got three kids. A fourteen year old, an eleven year old and a five year old. Really cute kids, too. Not nearly as cute as these though."

"Did he remember you?"

"Hardly. He laughed when I told him who I was. 'Little Kaite? Itty-bitty?' You know, he looks normal now. No longer metal anywhere."

"Gosh, it's been a long time."

"I got his phone number. Here, I'll write it down," she pulled out a pen and grabbed Robin's hand. She clicked the pen on when he jerked his hand away and handed her a yellow Post-It. "Well, fine, if you want it on paper."

She scribbled down the number and stuck it to Robin's head. He peeled it off his forehead; Kaite got up and stretched, grabbed her bag, and hugged them both. "I got to go, guys. Give the kids a kiss for me and give Cy a call."

"See ya later, Kaite." Robin said, staring at the number.

"Good-bye, Kaite. Please visit us again soon!" Starfire called quietly.

Kaite waved good-bye at the door, closed it behind her quietly, and drove away in her car.

The two headed for their bedroom. Starfire got into bed and pulled out a book. Robin sighed and stared at the yellow Post-It.

"What is wrong, Robin?"

"Just thinking about how long it's been since we last heard from them."

"I understand how you feel Robin. I miss them as well."

"Do you think I should give them a call? I have Beast Boy's number and Raven's address. Maybe I can arrange for us to meet again. For a reunion or something."

"Glorious idea, Robin! Then we would get to see all of our old friends again!"

"Or at least the ones that come. That's what I'll do. I'll start calling them tomorrow. It'll be our twenty year reunion!"

"Mommy? Daddy?" A small voice whimpered from the door.

"Zoë? What's wrong, Zo?" Robin asked.

"I can't sleep. There's a monster under my bed."

"Cookie, there's nothing there."

"Yes there is."

Starfire grabbed her hand. "Come along, Zoë. I will assure you, there is nothing to be afraid of." She led Zoë back to her room; Robin sighed and went to get ready for bed.

A/N: So what do you think? If you like it, I'll make the other families. If the majority of you don't like it, I'll delete it and make room for other fan fics.


	2. Invitations

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you like the story. As promised, here's more. Thanks again.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, and I probably never will, but like before, my characters and the plot are mine, so get your own.

Chapter 2

Invitations

The smell of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon stirred Robin from his sleep. He drifted down the stairs absently and slumped into his usual spot at the table.

"Morning, Dad!" Andy and Zoë called perkily. Dustin murmured something similar.

"Morning, sleepy-head!" Aaralyn's voice said from somewhere in the kitchen.

"Morning, kids," he yawned.

"So what are you going to do today?" Aaralyn asked as she set a plate of eggs in front of Robin.

"Actually, I'm gonna call up some old friends...you?"

"Ummm...I'm taking Dustin, Zoë, and Andy to the park, we're going to play catch," Aaralyn answered and sat across from her father. Robin nodded and took another bite of his breakfast.

* * *

Robin watched as his kids left for the park. 

"Okay, lunch is in the fridge...I'll drop the kids off at about 4:30...then I'm off to Kyrie's, you guys can order pizza for dinner," Aaralyn gently smiled and blew her father a kiss.

"Ok, kids...love you, see ya!" He glanced at them.

"Bye daddy!" Zoë waved and ran out ahead of her siblings. Aaralyn closed the door. The house was now quiet and almost empty, only he and the semi-unconscious Chris and Matt upstairs. Robin looked around, thinking of what to do next. He picked up the morning paper and looked through the hole Zoë had cut into it. He sighed, put it down, and pushed it to the side, he could finish it later. Now he was too preoccupied, focused on contacting his long lost friends that could even be passed as long lost brothers and sisters. He walked to a dresser in his room, and slid open the third drawer. Photographs, letters, comic books, and other memorable things were in it. He searched through the dusty papers, to pull out a small book. It was a book full of phone numbers and addresses. Whenever he would find out about the others getting a new address or number, he'd record it in there. He opened to the most recent page. It had Cyborg's and Beast boy's phone numbers and addresses; Kaite had given him Cy's last night and Beast boy sent his in the mail. He closed the book and carried it towards the phone; maybe...just maybe it'd work. He picked up the phone, and dialed Cy's number, it rang.

"Hello?" A little girl's voice answered the phone.

"Hello, umm are your parents home?"

"Well my daddy is, but I dunno where he is. My sister's here."

"Well can I talk to her?"

"Uhhh...yea, hold on..." The little kid put her hand over the speaking part. "DESTINY TELEPHONE!"

"Eileen...how many times do I have to tell you to let the answering machine pick it up?" Her sister scolded.

"Sorry," The little girl handed the phone to Destiny.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hello, Does Cyb-er I mean Victor live here?" Robin asked.

"Yes, actually he does...hold on,"

Robin smiled; he had reached the right house. He nervously waited until the phone was picked up again.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cy, what's up, Man?" Robin asked.

"R...Robin?"

"Yea, man, how've you been doing?" Robin smiled.

"I've been better, but hey,life'sabout the good and the bad.I didn't expect to hear from you again..." Cyborg answered.

"Yea, well I'm trying to get Titans back together for like a reunion or something."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"So, you got Rae's number? She sent it to me before she moved."

"No."

"Ok, it's 607-504-3478. It might have changed though. And I think it's her cell, just so you know."

"Thanks, Cy; I'll give her a call."

"That's cool, really cool," Deafening racket was heard in the background.

"DAD! WILL YOU GET IN HERE? BRADLEY LOCKED EILEEN IN THE DRYER AGAIN!" Destiny yelled over the commotion.

"Uhhh...Robin, I gotta go...but you can give me your number so I can call you back later,"

"Oh, ok its 822-369-2424,"

"Okay, well...I'll talk to you later, Robin..." The phone was quickly hung up. Robin hung up his phone too; well, at least he contacted someone. He picked up the phone and dialed the second number on the list...silence at first, then it rang.

"Logan residence," A young girl's voice answered the phone. Without letting him get a word in, she continued, "No, my parents aren't home but our sister is here. Hold on, I'll get her. THORN!"

"Weird," Robin murmured. "I wonder if-nah."

"Hello?" another girl's voice answered the phone.

"Is Garfield Logan there?"

"No, he's not back from work yet."

"What about Mrs. Logan?"

"Nope."she covered the mouthpiece with her hand and yelled, "DAMON! GET OFF OF THAT HAMPER AND LET PIPPA OUT!" She took her hand off the mouthpiece and continued, "Listen, this place is a zoo. I have to go, I'll tell them you called."

"No, no, that's ok; I'll call back later,"

"All right then. Bye,"

"Bye,"

* * *

Robin marked the day on the calendar. Yep, it was set December 25th. He marked off today's date, December 1st. It was only 24 days...24 days until he'd see all his friends.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review and tell me how you liked it; otherwise, I'll just take it off and make room for other people's fics. Thank you so much to my reviewers, and I've decided on the family scheme, so the other families will be in the next chapter. Bye-bye! 


	3. A Little Holiday Shopping Won't HurtMuch

A/N: I AM SO SORRY! I know I haven't updated in a while but I've been busy with school and had absolutely no time during the break so SORRY! Okie dokie, that's all. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; I never will. End of story.

Chapter 3

A Little Holiday Shopping Never Hurt...Much

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost."

"When will we get there?"

"Soon."

"But my feet hurt. And I'm tired and hungry."

Thorn frowned at her father. "Stop being such a baby, Dad. Try to be more like Pippa." She indicated the little girl, who was flipping through the book that Thorn had given her. At the sound of her name, Pippa looked up briefly, but went back to her paperback book when neither family member said anything to her.

Beast boy sighed and shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Whose idea was it to come to the mall two weeks before Christmas?"

"You are the one who chose today, Dad," Thorn reminded him. "Try to show a little more Christmas spirit."

Immediately after she said that, Thorn felt a stab of hypocrisy. The line moved forward about half a foot, before coming to a stop again. Thorn absentmindedly leaned against the pole marking the line area.

"Isn't Santa Clause married?" Beast boy asked abruptly. Thorn looked over at her father.

"What?" What kind of question was that? Maybe the endless hours of waiting in the line had snapped his feeble brain.

"Never mind. Forget it," he replied and scanned the line of parents and children that snaked halfway across the lower level of the mall. "You know, I bet old Santa sees more action in one night than most people do in a year."

Thorn almost choked. "Where did you get a ridiculous idea like that?"

"Like in that song 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause'."

"Dad, it's a song."

"But he is married…I wonder if Mrs. Clause minds…"

Several parents gave Beast boy odd looks. Thorn could feel her face heating up. She tried to think of something to say to distract her father from his current train of thought.

"Does she even know? If I were kissing every woman on my list, I wouldn't tell your mother. Wouldn't that mean he's cheating on her?" Thorn opened her mouth but he wasn't even listening to her anymore.

Parents began to draw their kids away, leaving a clear space around Beast boy. Thorn pretended not to know him; Pippa abandoned her toy to stare at her daddy.

"And this guy is supposed to be a role model for children to be good all year long, right? He cheats on his wife and eats nothing but milk and cookies! The slob's a walking heart attack! Hell, I'm a better role model. Plus…" Beast boy looked around and grinned. Most people were hanging on his every word, although they pretended otherwise. He lowered his voice. People shifted closer to hear. "Santa Clause is a smoker." Beast boy nodded. Thorn shut her hands over Pippa's ears. "That's right. He smokes a pipe in that book 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.' His lungs are probably black and he smells like--."

"Having fun?" a monotonous voice asked from behind the trio. Thorn sighed in relief. Raven slipped into the line.

"Come to ruin it?" Beast boy asked quietly. Pippa giggled quietly.

"That's generally what I do. I can't leave you alone for one second, can I?"

"Yes, you can!"

"Not. Especially not with so many children around," Thorn insisted, giving her father a scornful look. Beast boy stared at his shoes. Thorn looked around quickly and turned to her mother, "Hey, where's Damon?"

"Shopping," Raven replied. The line moved another half a foot. They were still towards the end, but much closer than before, thanks to _someone._ Beast boy leaned over the rope and looked down the line.

"I think I see Santa. Or maybe that's an elf."

The three sighed impatiently and leaned against the posts.

* * *

"Okay, we have purchased gifts for Matt, Chris, Zoë, Dustin, Aaralyn, Katie, And—" 

Robin cut her off. "Kori, who do we have to buy gifts for?"

Star smiled, "Our friends."

"No, we can't buy gifts for them."

"Why not?"

"Then they'll be mad because they'll think we expect something back."

"But we do not expe—"

"I know that, you know that, and they should know that, but we don't want to take any chances. It could offend someone."

"Richard, you do not think that our friends would—"

"Kori, we don't know how much they've changed over the years."

"They could not have changed very much. They are still our old friends."

"I just don't think we should take the chance, all right?"

"Very well."

"Good, now let's go get the kids and bring them to see Santa."

* * *

"Rae, I'm bored and...and...and I'mtired and I'm hungry. Can't we go home and see Santa later? We've been here 2 hours!" Beast boy whined. Raven sighed impatiently. 

"Fine. We'll go walk around a while. Thorn, can you wait with Pippa so she can talk to Santa?" Thorn nodded. The two slipped out of the line and headed down the crowded walkway and disappeared.

"I'm about to go home. If we're still in line when they come back, they can take you to see Santa. He's always scared me anyway."

Pippa laughed. "You're afraid of Santa, Thorn?"

"Not afraid. I just get a little anxious around him. Kinda like you and clowns, only less." However, it wasn't Santa she was worried about. It was the fact that she hated the holidays more than she hated schooland the fact that she was not very well tempered today and the fact that the next person who irritated her was going to be in a lot of pain. That worried her.

"You should be afraid of Santa," a voice whispered in Pippa's ear. Pippa spun around. A teenager with mousy messy brown hair stared down at her, then busted out laughing.

"Damon! That's not funny!" Pippa cried, retreating behind Thorn.

"Damon, leave her alone," Thorn said angrily. Damon laughed again.

"What ya gonna do if I don't, Thorn? Huh?"

"You wait. Just wait."

"Talk is cheap," he replied softly; he made his way over to Pippa. She stared at him in a semi-state of fear. "You know why you should be scared, Pippa?" She shook her head faintly. "I'm telling you why. Santa Clause is coming to town."

"Damon, back off," Thorn warned. If she was overprotective about one thing, it was Pippa. Damon ignored her.

"He sees you when you're sleeping—"

"Damon!"

"—He knows when you're awake—"

"Damon, stop!"

"—He'll come and get you if you're bad, so you better be good!"

"Last chance, shut up, you little insect!"

"He'll come through the chimney and—"

They never found out what Santa would do after he came down the chimney, because at that very moment Damon went flying to rattle off the wall and fall into a heap.

People stopped moving, stopped talking, alarms stopped going off in the stores, every noise, everything, just stopped. For a moment, they gawked at Damon's unconscious body. Thorn grabbed Pippa's hand and pulled through the crowd until they were in front. Pippa glanced up at her sister tearfully, not knowing what to say. Thorn just stood there, staring blankly at her brother.

"What's going on here?" a commanding voice asked. Thorn and Pippa, along with everyone else in the area looked over to where the voice came from. There stood a thirty-something year old man with messy jet black hair and blue eyes. He approached Damon cautiously, and then crouched down to look at him. "Does anyone here know how this happened?" he called out to the crowd. Shoppers began to whisper and murmur to the people beside them. "Anyone?"

* * *

"What happened?" Beast boy asked, looking around at the shoppers for some hint or clue. 

A fellow who had been doing his shopping turned to Beast boy, "Word's abuzzin' dat they dun had a young feller who dun flewed into the wall down over there. They dunno how he dun did dat but he did it."

Beast boy and Raven exchanged worried glances; BB pulled Raven up on a small plateau that contained the coffee shoppe and scanned the area. Around where they had last left Thorn and Pippa to see Santa, there was a large group of people huddled around the wall of a shop.

"Rae, you don't think she would—?" Beast boy looked at her anxiously, praying she would deny what he thought. She just turned back to the crowd.

"I…I don't know, Gar…I really don't…I wish I could say I know she wouldn't, but I just…don't know."

"What about those little necklace things we bought them? Aren't they supposed to block it?" Beast boy implored almost pleadingly, searching for any way it could have been someone else.

"It can only block mild emotions, like aggravation, disgust, things like that. It can't stop the power if the emotions are extreme."

"So what you're saying is somebody made her really happy…"

"Or really pissed her off."

* * *

"So no one saw what happened?" the man asked again. Thorn stared at him vacantly. 

The man got caught in her eyes; they were violet, boldly violet, and they shone in the lights. They were hypnotic. Her hair, it simply lacked color. Black and dead, falling down over her shoulders anddown her back. The boy, his brown hair was wild and streaked with blonde, andhe hadshocking green eyes and bizarrely pointed ears. They kind of looked like elf ears. And the little girl, black hair with a tint to it, strange tint, almost lilac colored, but the same emerald green eyes and pointed ears. Wearing nothing but an oversized navy blue sweatshirt that fit her like a dress except where the sleeves hung over her hands, white stockings, and black Mary Jane shoes. He snapped back to his train of thought and his eyes returned to Thorn.

"Thorn!" a familiar voice called through the crowd. Thorn looked back, almost relieved. Her father had pushed his way through the crowd. He hugged her tightly and then grabbed her shoulders. "You okay?"

She nodded grimly and looked back at her brother. "Damon isn't though."

Beast boy stared at her in horror and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Thorn, what did you do?"

"I…I…I didn't mean…he was…I was…" she stammered, then she sighed and pushed through the crowd, leaving Pippa and Beast boy staring at Damon. Damon, at that very moment, began to stir. He opened his eyes and sat up; immediately, he brought his hand to his head.

"OWWWWWWWW SHIT!" he hollered. Beast boy ran over to his son.

"You okay, D?"

"NO!" Damon yelled. "I just got thrown into a wall. How would you feel?"

The man with the black hair held out a hand to help them up, first Beast boy, then Damon. Damon dusted himself off and began murmuring indistinct curses about his sister. The shoppers began to return to their shopping and bustling around.

"Thanks for taking care of my son. Garfield Logan." Beast boy held out his hand. The man shook it.

"Richard Grayson. I didn't really do anything. He was barely out for two minutes. Is he all right?"

"He will be." Beast boy looked down at his youngest daughter, who was now staring at Robin. Beast boy poked her in the shoulder. "Pippa don't stare." But Pippa didn't stop. Instead, she cocked her head in a strange sort of listening position for a few seconds. Then, she looked back up at Robin.

"You sound like the man that called our house last night."

"PIPPA!" Beast boy exclaimed, his face heating up. "I'm sorry, she's sick, she doesn't know what she's—"

"BB? That…you?"

"No you must have me confused with someone else."

"B, it's me, Robin."

"Robin?" Beast boy asked uncertainly. Robin nodded. "DUDE! I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SEE YOU AGAIN!"

"Beast boy, be quiet! Nobody can know who we are, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…oops…"

"I'm glad to see you too. Now listen, I'm having a kind of reunion for the Titans at my house next Saturday. I really hoped you'd come. You know, it'd give us a chance to catch up, meet each other's families, stuff like that. Nothing big, but if you haven't got anything to do the 24-26 give me a call and let me know, okay?"

"Great! I'll ask Rae!"

"Raven?"

"Yeah. And even if she doesn't come, I'll be there. If shelets me go, anyway."

"Great. It starts at 7 so try not to be late and call me for directions."

"Definitely. Look, I have to go help untangle a family crisis...so…uh…I'll call you. Or you call me…whatever works. See ya Robin."

"Bye, BB." Robin smiled. It felt really good to be using his old name again.

* * *

A/N: This chapter is really long as an apology for taking so long to update. Thank you sooo much to my reviewers. I can't name you all but you know who you are and I really appreciate all the helpful hints some of you have given me. Thanks again guys! But as for this chapter, tell me how you liked it. PLZ REVIEW! K, guys, bye! 


	4. Family Crisis or Two

A/N: Here it is! FINALLY! I'm sorry it took so long.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans and never will so there.

_(italics) - _thoughts

Chapter 4  
Family Crisis

Thorn slammed the door of the car. She was going to be punished again; she was going to have to face her mother. She tried to think of what she would say.

_('He wouldn't stop what should I have done?' No, too easily turned back on me. 'I'm sorry...I couldn't help it.' Oh that would make them happy. They'd just bring the hammer down harder. Might as well just suck it up. Keep quiet and face the music. After all, it doesn't matter what I say. They don't listen. They don't understand. They don't care.)_

Her dog growled at her from the front gate.

"Tsubaki move" she instructed. The dog growled again. "Tsubaki!" She couldn't understand why he was acting so strange. Tsubaki was usually so friendly. Tsubaki barked loudly and scratched at the fence. Thorn glared at him "I am not in the mood for this, Tsubaki! STOP!" Tsubaki's skin sliced open on his side in three parallel lines and blood oozed from the wound. Tsubaki whimpered and backed away from the fence. Thorn unlocked the fence and was about to go in when a cold voice stopped her dead.

"It _is_ always the quiet ones isn't it?"

Thorn turned around. A tall man in a trench coat was standing on the sidewalk behind her. "Do I know you?" she asked suspiciously. He grinned at her from under his hat.

"No. Not yet anyway. But you will."

* * *

"DADDY" Eileen's voice screeched. Cyborg burst through his daughter's door. 

"What's the matter" he demanded, panicked. His youngest children, Eileen and Brad, were arguing over the remote.

"BRADLEY WON'T LET ME WATCH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE!"

"THAT'S CUZ THERE'S A DOCUMENTARY ON THE TEEN TITANS! DAD TELL HER TO LET ME WATCH IT!"

"OH YOU LITTLE FREAK YOU ARE SO OBSESSED WITH THEM! THEY'RE PROBABLY DEAD SO WHY DO YOU CARE!" she screamed, pulling the remote out of his hands. He grabbed it back.

"THEY ARE NOT DEAD! AND ANOTHER THING I AM NOT A FREAK! I'M JUST DIFFERENT! YOU'RE THE FREAK WITH YOUR CREEPY LITTLE ROBOT EARS!" he yelled, pushing her heavy dark curls back and revealing a blue and silver metallic casing around her ear. She shoved him off the bed.

"AM NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"AM NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"AM NOT! I'M NOT THE ONE OBSESSED WITH DEAD PEOPLE!"

"THEY'RE NOT DEAD THEY'RE JUST USING THEIR SECRET IDENTITIES!"

"IF THEY'RE SO GREAT, WHY DO THEY NEED TO HIDE!"

"ENOUGH!" Cyborg yelled. The two kids gawked at their father. "Bradley, NEVER call your sister a freak. Eileen, let him watch the documentary. You might learn something."

"Like what? The Titans were totally naive and stupid. They believed anyone who said they were their friend. I've heard it all before."

"It was much more complicated than that, Eileen," he said quietly.

"How would you know?" she turned on him.

"I was a big fan when I was younger too. I don't want to hear another word."

* * *

"I cannot believe you could be so irresponsible, Thorn." 

Thorn glared up at her mother from the table. She had heard enough.

"Oh, you've never made a mistake before! Please forgive me for not being perfect!" Thorn snapped back. Raven looked back at her oldest daughter.

"I'm not expecting you to be. It's impossible for you to be perfect, and I understand that. However, I warned you about this. You're not a normal teenager, Thorn. You can't throw the rulebook out of the window. If you want to keep this under control--"

Thorn jumped up and slammed her fists on the table. The pie they had leftover from last night spun off the pivot and slammed into the door with a blueberry splash. "I DON'T WANT IT UNDER CONTROL! I WANT IT GONE!"

Her eyes glistened in the light. She sprinted up the stairs. Raven heard her door slam and the radio blare through the door. She grabbed the broom and dustpan from behind the door and began to sweep up the residue from the ceramic pie holder. Beast boy knocked on the door quietly. She looked up then back down at the floor.

"Not now, Gar..."

He pushed through the door anyway. "Uh...Rae...I know it's not the best time...but...um...I...uh...kind of um"

"Gar, spit it out" she said, not even looking up from the floor.

"ImetupwithRobinearliertoday," he said quickly.

"Slow down, Gar." She gazed up at him. "Robin, huh?"

"Yeah, Robin. Well he's kind of getting the rest of the Titans-for a reunion and-you don't want to go so I'm gonna--" he reached for the doorknob.

"How do you know I don't want to go?"

He looked back at her with wide eyes. He had expected her to flat out say no. "You want to?"

"I don't know," she replied. She placed the broom against the wall, walked over to him and banged her fist against the door. "Damon! Pippa! Up to your rooms," she said firmly.

Not much to Beast boy's surprise, the door opened and Damon and Pippa, who had been listening to the conversation from outside the door, hurried up the stairs.

Raven looked intently back at Beast boy. "It all depends."

"On what?" he asked excitedly.

"Well, the dates, for one thing"

"It's the 24th through the 26th."

"And then, whether or not the kids or up to it--"

"WE ARE!" Damon's voice yelled from up the stairs.

"I said to go up to your room! Don't make me come up there!" she half-yelled. They heard the doors close in unison and she said, "Well, that answers that."

"YES! I'LL START PACKING!"

"Wait a minute," she grabbed his shoulder. He turned around. "You're forgetting someone."

"I am?" he asked. She pointed to the roof. "Oh, yeah. Oops..."

"If you can convince Thorn to come, we can go."

"YES! RAE YOU'RE THE BEST!" he yelled excitedly. He kissed her and sprinted up the stairs. "YES! YES! YES!"

Raven shook her head and went back to cleaning up the splattered pie.

A/N: So tell me how you liked it. Sorry if it was bad. I finished it up early this morning. I don't want to give anything away but pay attention to that strange person...he's important...anyway, sorry that it took so long and if I went OOC forgive me...Thanks for waiting and thanks for reading.


	5. Don't You hate long car rides?

A/N: This took forever but I got it up. Sorry this took so long. Anyway like always read and review. Thanks for waiting.

Disclaimer: See other chapters

Chapter 5  
Don't you hate those long car rides? ( And days where nothing goes right)

"Okay, I think we got everything," Beast boy said, slamming the trunk closed. "Pip's meds, everybody's clothes, and that little weird shape thing. Right, kay. Everybody ready?"

"Ready as we're gonna be," Damon replied impatiently. Beast boy climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. The car backed down the driveway and started down the road. At the first red light, Beast boy looked back. Everyone but Damon and him were fast asleep, which was understandable, considering that it was 5:30 in the morning. He wanted to get there as soon as possible and they lived about 6 hours away from the suburbs. Plus, traffic was hell during Christmas.

The light changed from red to green with a click and he sped down the almost deserted road.

* * *

Cyborg scooped his youngest daughter up out of her bed and brought her down to the car. He strapped her in securely and closed the door behind him. Destiny stared at her father with wide eyes. 

"Ummm...Dad?" she asked, as the car rolled out the driveway. He turned to her.

"Yeah?"

"Ummm, do they know about...uh, Eileen?"

"What about her, Destiny?"

"You know, that she's like a cyborg. Won't that kinda freak them out?"

"I don't think so. They're 10 times weirder than Eileen. Trust me, Destiny, they aren't freaked out by much."

"So they won't think that we're–"

"Definitely not." he replied firmly. She still didn't look convinced. "Tell you what: when we get to the school, I'll let you drive."

Destiny smiled and all uncertainty erased from her face. "You're the best, dad."

"I know," he replied with a smirk.

* * *

Robin's alarm clock buzzed loudly. He slammed the snooze button and looked at the red numbers on the display. 6:30. He turned over, yawned, stretched and got up. He pulled on a robe and made his way down the stairs. The TV made a gray glare across the living room. 

Robin flipped on the lights and was greeted by the faces of Andy, Dustin, and Zoe. The two 8 year olds gave him a confused look and Andy turned back to the TV.

"What are you doing up?" Dustin asked.

"I could ask you three the same question."

"The best cartoons come on early," Zoe replied.

"Yeah this is the only time they're not showing those freakin' Christmas specials," Dustin added. Robin shrugged and headed for the kitchen. He made a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. He stared as the creamer swirled around in the black beverage. For some reason, he found himself nervous. He didn't know why. He had no reason to be. He poured the sugar in the cup, mixed it, and took a sip. Immediately, he spat it out. He downed a glass of water and checked the container, which read in big, green letters "SALT".

"Of course."

* * *

"Damon, don't!" Pippa's voice called from the backseat. Damon pushed her away and leaned over his still sleeping older sister. "Damon, you're gonna make her mad." 

"I know."

"What are you doing?" Raven asked, turning back to look at the kids. Damon hid something behind his back and smiled.

"Nothing."

Raven continued to watch him. She knew exactly what he was doing.

He lightly took the end of the feather Pippa had behind her ear and rubbed it against her sister's cheek. She brushed her face and turned away.

"You know I'm not going to stop her, right?" Raven warned.

"Yeah, but it is so worth it."

"If you think so," she said shortly and turned back to the front. Beast boy snickered. She elbowed him and he stopped laughing. He checked the clock. It now read 8:58. They were making really good time, seeing as they were 3/4 of the way there.

Damon rubbed the feather across her face again. Thorn moaned and shook her head. He made one last attempt. She raised her hand and slapped her face sharply. She shot up and rubbed her cheek gingerly. Damon doubled up with laughter. Thorn scowled and the seat belt tightened around his neck. He grabbed his throat and coughed loudly. He put the shoulder strap behind him and smirked.

"What you gonna do now?"

She thought for a moment, then the buckle unlatched itself and slammed into his forehead, leaving a bright red imprint. Pippa giggled as Damon moaned in pain and grabbed his head. Thorn put her head back on the window sill.

"Maybe now you'll leave me alone."

"Nope. Not till the 12th of never or the 32nd of October. Whichever comes first."

"Whatever." She sighed and closed her eyes.

* * *

"NO DESTINY! SLOW DOWN!" 

"I'm doing the speed limit."

"YOU'RE DOING 50 OVER THE SPEED LIMIT! YOUR GLASSES BROKEN OR SOMETHING?"

"Daddy stop. I'm just gonna pull over and you can drive, okay? The apple never falls far from the tree, though."

"It does on a steep hill," he muttered, as he climbed into the driver's seat. They were about an hour away, and the anxiety was beginning to build up in him. He knew he shouldn't take it out on his daughter, but she was the only outlet he had. Eileen and Bradley were watching a DVD and had been completely silent since they woke up. "Look, Destiny, I'm sorry. I'm tired, that's all."

"It's all right. I'm a terrible driver. I barely passed my driving test. I only wish I could drive like you."

"Me too." he said quietly. She stared at the floor. "Oh, shit did I say that out loud? Sorry, D. If it's any consolation, I was a bad driver as a teenager, too."

He was lying through his teeth but she didn't know that. She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. Then she pulled her i-Pod out if her pocket and plugged her headphones in her ears. One more hour...

* * *

Robin checked over the house once more making sure it was clean. Aaralyn was lounged across the couch watching the Rudolf special with Starfire, the twins, and Andy. Matt was out practicing in the garage with the band and Chris was watching. Everything was perfect. Well, except that the band was playing exceptionally loudly. But that was all right. When somebody got there, they had to stop practicing and the others had to leave. 

Suddenly the doorbell tolled. Robin started to get up, but Starfire beat him to the door. She flung the door open and gasped. A tall, dark, muscular man stood at the doorway accompanied by a teenage girl and two small children.

"Victor!" Starfire cried, beaming at him.

"Hey Kori," Cyborg replied. She engulfed him in a bone-crunching hug.

"Come in, please," she invited them in to the welcoming, warm house. They came in gladly and began taking off their coats. They hung them on the coat rack and walked through the entrance hall into the spacious living room, which was heavily adorned with Christmas decorations.

"Hey, Cy," Robin said, outstretching his hand. Cyborg shook it firmly then pulled him into a hug.

"Is that how you greet a friend you haven't seen in 20 years?"

"Of course not. Glad you could make it."

"Yeah, man. Wouldn't miss it." he replied, smiling. Destiny cleared her throat loudly and Cyborg nodded. "I almost forgot. This is my oldest daughter, Destiny. That's my son, Bradley and my youngest, Eileen. Guys, this is Mr. And Mrs. Grayson."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Destiny said politely, extending her hand. Robin shook it; Destiny turned towards the garage. "Is that a real band?"

"They wish. They're going to stop soon so-"

"No. I like it. It's older music, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Can I go and watch, Dad?"

"Well, Mr. Grayson said–" Cyborg started but Robin cut him off.

"If she honestly likes them, I guess it's okay. Unless it bothers you."

"Please. I can barely hear it."

"Okay then. Um...kids!" Zoe, Dustin, Andy, and Aaralyn stuck their heads up from behind the couch. "The blonde's Zoe; only boy there is Dustin, those two are my twins; Andy's 10 and Aaralyn, we call her AJ, is 17, she's my oldest. My other two sons are out there. The older one is Matt. Younger one's Chris."

"6? Man...I thought my 3 were bad."

"It's not bad. You get used to it."

The doorbell tolled again.

"That'll be Raven and BB," Robin said, heading for the door. Cyborg followed him.

"I gotta see this. You think they have kids?"

"I know they have kids. 3 of them I'm pretty sure."

Cyborg doubled up with laughter. Robin opened the door.

"Come on in," Robin said, opening the door wider. The Logansfiled in quietly and he shut the door behind them. "You can put your coats there." They pulled off their coats and followed Robin inside.

Thorn looked around at the pictures and then at the four kids on the couch and whispered to Damon, "Have they heard of birth control?"

Damon choked, but stifled his laughter when Robin turned and glanced at them.

Cyborg stared at Thorn for a moment as if he was trying to make out who she was. "Theo? That you?"

Thorn's eyes got wide. "Coach Storm," She squeaked in a very uncharacteristically high voice. Damon laughed loudly.

"You're so dead."

"Shut up!" She elbowed him hard in the ribs. He rubbed them gingerly.

"Coach?" BB asked.

"Yeah, Theo's in my 3rd hour class. She's one of my favorite students actually. She's brilliant; she's not athletic at all, but she makes a hell of a ref. And I don't know why I never noticed it before. You two look exactly alike. Well, you looked exactly like that at sixteen, anyway. I'm kidding." he added, with a look at Raven.

"Well, not that catching up with you isn't fun, Coach...but I'm going listen to the band."

"I'll come with you," Damon said, following her.

"I wish you wouldn't."

"Who else is going to keep you out of trouble?"

"Whatever. Pip, you coming?"

Pippa shook her head silently. Thorn slipped out the door, closely followed by Damon.

"I assume by my daughter's reaction, she is not doing well," Raven said, throwing a glance at the door.

"You assume correctly," Cyborg replied. "She aced her exam, she just can't participate."

"I knew her P.E. grade was crap anyway."

"If you knew how bad it was, you'd want to kill her," Cyborg murmured.

* * *

Thorn and Damon sat down on the cleared driveway in front of the garage next to Destiny. She scanned the faces in the band. The drummer and keyboard player were girls. The other three were guys. The current singer she had seen in the pictures on the wall. The bass player looked kind of like the drummer. Her jaw dropped when she saw the guitarist. Her face, which was already pale, was now devoid of all color. 

"What's wrong?" Damon asked, following her gaze. He howled with laughter. "Holy shit! Isn't that the guy you've had a crush on since like 4th grade...uhh...Matt Grayson!"

"You think so?" she replied sardonically."And the hits just keep on coming."

The song ended and Matt clapped his hands smartly.

"Kay guys. My parents' friends are here so you gotta go." There was a groan from the group as they pulled on their coats and headed down the road. He headed for the driveway with Chris. He turned and jumped when he saw the trio sitting on the cement.

"Hey. Uh, you must be Coach Storm's daughter, right?" he asked, helping Destiny up.

"Yea. You're Matt and Chris, right?"

"Yes we are." Chris replied and winked at Destiny. She gazed at him with a mixture of disgust and humor. Matt extended a hand to Damon, who took it and pulled himself up.

"I've seen you somewhere before," Matt said, pondering where he'd met Damon.

"Why don't I help you up?" Chris said slyly, reaching for Thorn.

"Touch me and you'll spend the rest of your life thinking you're a six year old girl," she retorted, getting up alone. Matt turned around as Thorn dusted the snow off her clothes.

"As if you could do that," Chris laughed.

"Care to find out?" She asked quietly. Chris froze in his tracks. "No? Okay then." she replied; Chris fell face first in a bank of snow, seemingly over nothing. Damon's eyes widened.

"Wait a minute. I recognize that aggressive behavior," Matt said suddenly. "Thorn, right? We've got P.E. and Chemistry together, don't we?"

"Yeah. We do."

"Well, we'd better get inside before we catch something."

Chris hurried after Matt and Damon hung back with Thorn.

"We can't use those here!" Damon hissed.

"Okay what are you frickin' talking about?"

"Our powers, Thorn. Mom and Dad said–"

"They didn't even notice. And screw what they said. I'm tired of listening to them anyway. I'll listen to them when they have to deal with it."

And with that she went inside, leaving him alone on the walk. He hurried in and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

A/n: Alright, guys this chapter is really long and I hope to get another chapter up real soon. I hope I didn't go OOC with the characters, if I did I'm really sorry. Please review. Tell me if you like it or if you didn't. No flames, please. 


	6. A Little Bonding

A/N: Hey guys, I'm back. I've got a good chapter for you. Hopefully, I'll get another chapter up before I have to go back to school...if I don't, I'll get it up next holiday. But I'm going to try as hard as I can to get one more chapter up before I return to the real world.

Disclaimer: see previous.

Ch. 6

A Little Bonding Through Cookies and Tea

Due to the fact that there were only two guestrooms in the Grayson house, the kids had been given roommates according to their age and gender. This was unsettling for some of the older children, but no one entirely objected to their arrangements. Well, to their parents, at least.

"I can't believe they roomed me with her," Aaralyn murmured as she showed Thorn to her room.

"Believe me, Princess, I'm not thrilled about staying with you, either," Thorn snapped as she walked past her into the room. Aaralyn turned a light shade of red and closed the door.

"I didn't mean for you to hear that," she apologized, though she didn't look sorry at all.

"It doesn't matter. Where should I put this?" Thorn asked, motioning to her bag.

"There is good. Is the futon okay for you to sleep on?"

"It's fine," she replied quietly, sitting down on the plush blue futon. "It's not like I'll be doing much sleeping."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

"Thorn, can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

"Well...wait," Aaralyn paused for a moment, then shook off the comment and continued. "Anyway, why do you hate me?"

Thorn didn't move her eyes from the floor. "I don't."

"Oh, bullshit! I know you hate me. You hate my guts, and I don't care, you can, but I just want to know why. I mean was it something I said or did?"

"I don't hate you. I don't like you but I don't hate you."

"I don't believe you. What did I do? Is this about Pru?" she blurted out. Thorn flinched at the mention of the girl's name. "Thorn, I swear I didn't start that rumor! That was Kathryn and Laura."

"It has nothing to do with Pru."

"Yes it does, I can see it in your face."

"You'd look the same way if someone you hardly knew started discussing your dead best friend."

"Thorn, I'm sorry. I just–"

"A bit of advice, stay away from the subject," Thorn snapped coldly.

Aaralyn nodded. There was a long silence between them. After three or four minutes, Thorn pulled on her sweater and opened the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Outside. Is that okay?" she asked, although she was going despite the answer. Aaralyn nodded again and Thorn walked out. When the door closed, Aaralyn sighed and collapsed on her bed.

* * *

Matt pushed open a large wooden hatch in the ceiling. Damon gave him an odd look as he pulled down a rope ladder.

"Your room is in the attic?"

"Yeah. Why?"

He put his bag on the floor. "No reason, just never knew anyone who lived in an attic, that's all," he replied as he started up the ladder. At the top, he discovered it was wide and cool, completely unlike what he had expected. There was a couch at the foot of the bed and a mattress on the floor. Chris darted past him and collapsed on the couch. Damon's bag shot through the opening in the floor and landed right next to his feet. Matt's head became visible a moment later. He rolled up the ladder and pulled the hatch shut. "Nice room," Damon said approvingly.

"Glad you're comfortable," Matt said, smiling. Then, he shot a glare at Chris. "You, however...lift up that board one time and I don't care what dad says, you're sleeping downstairs."

"What board?" Damon asked, sitting down on the mattress and placing his bag beside his feet.

"There is a board that opens up into my sister's room," Chris replied.

"And it's staying shut," Matt warned. "This is so unfair, you have your own room."

"And Coach has 2 daughters. They need my room. I mean, you don't want me down there with them, do you? Think of the things that could happen."

"All right, Chris, can it."

"Hey, does this window open?" Damon asked, gesturing to a frost-tinged window above Matt's bedside table. Matt nodded.

"Sometimes. Why?" he asked; Damon shrugged.

"I dunno. Just wondering. Where does it go?"

"What do you mean 'where does it go'? It goes outside to the roof."

"Alright, dude, no need to snap!" Damon said quickly.

"Sorry," Matt said apologetically, "I didn't mean to...umm...what's your name again? I know you're Thorn's brother, but–"

"Damon."

"That's it."

"Man, your sis is a freak, huh?" Chris said suddenly, sitting up straight on the couch. "And, like, not in the good way. That chick is scary."

"Nah," Damon replied casually. "You just gotta get to know her. She doesn't mean half the stuff she says."

"I don't know, man. She seemed to mean what she told me."

Matt had to laugh, "Chris, please–"

"Hey! She threatened to turn me into a six-year-old girl and threw me into a pile of snow!"

"Chris, I watched her, she didn't touch you! She was nowhere near you, so she couldn't have thrown you in the snow. You're just dead clumsy. And as for the threat, well, it's about time someone did," Matt snapped. "You need to stop being such a perv."

"You need to stop being such a woman," Chris shot back. "It's no wonder you don't have a girl."

"Guys!" Damon jumped in, not wanting to see a fight at that particular moment between the two, who seemed equally matched. Matt was strong and Chris was quick; a battle like that would make for a lot of trouble, especially in an attic. However, Damon had no effect on the scene.

"You know what I think?" Chris said tauntingly. "I think you like that little weirdo." Matt's eyes widened and his face reddened; he swung at Chris. Chris dodged the swipe with inhuman ease. "Oh, defensive."

"Shut up, Chris!" Matt snarled, tossing a baseball at Chris's head. Chris dodged the ball just as easily as before; when he did, the ball struck the wall and fell to the floor, leaving a depression where it had hit. Chris glanced at it in amusement.

"Oh, look at that_. Another _dent in the wall to cover up!"

"You guys, cool it!" Damon exclaimed, now sincerely frightened of both Matt and Chris. They glared at him for a minute and then each other again before Matt kicked the hatch that led to the hall open and threw the ladder down.

"Sorry, Damon. Chris, if you ever do a single intelligent thing in your life, let this be it: Don't follow me!" he yelled and climbed down the ladder. He vanished beneath the floor. Seconds later, the hatch slammed shut and the ladder flew up with it and landed on top of the hatch in a heap.

"See, Damon. He's too emotional to be a guy, am I right?" Chris mused, turning to Damon, who seemed completely shaken. "Ah, don't worry, he's potentially harmless."

"Yeah to you. You can dodge everything he throws at you."

"Well, not everything. Sometimes, he catches me off guard. Trust me, that shit hurts."

"How'd he get that strong?"

"Born that way. Watch," Chris said, digging under the couch. He dragged out a cardboard box and shuffled through various papers until he reached a dusty old photo album. He blew off the dust and flipped open the cover. Damon crawled on the bed and looked over Chris's shoulder. He flicked through several pages then stopped and pointed to a fading picture. In it, a newborn baby boy was hoisting an extremely shocked grown man over him by the man's finger. It was one of the most bizarre things Damon could ever recall seeing, and he had grown up with Thorn. Chris closed the album quickly, stuffed it back in the box, and kicked the box under the bed.

"You can't tell anyone I showed you that, deal?" Chris asked. Damon nodded. "Good."

"Hey, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"How'd you get so fast?"

"Oh, same thing. Born that way. Man, my whole family's like this, which is totally weird 'cause our parents can't do anything we can."

"You mean everybody's like the two of you?" he asked, almost laughing at the thought of little Zoe lifting a grown man over her head.

"No. Well, kinda. Like, I'm really fast and Matt's like impossibly strong, right? My little sister Andy can control liquids, like she can move water from one glass to another glass without touching either of the glasses. And Dustin can set his hand on fire by snapping his fingers."

Damon stared at him, dumbfounded, not sure whether to believe him or call him crazy. A normal person would have taken on immediate disbelief. However, considering what he had grown up with, none of it was sounding completely unlikely. "So, you guys, have extraordinary powers and stuff?"

"I know you probably think I'm nuts but–"

"Actually, I believe you."

"Really? Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because...my family's just like that. But before I say anything else, you gotta swear you won't tell anybody!"

Chris put his hand over his heart. "You have my word."

Damon took a deep breath. Chris stared at him intently. "All right...um...I can like shape-shift into different animals and objects like a vase or a pillow. And...um...crap, I can't say 'cuz Theo would kill me if I told you."

"She won't find out."

"Yes she will, she always does. No one has to tell her, she just knows," he said, as an answer to Chris's questioning glance. Damon dropped his voice to a whisper, "Let's just say that, if she tried hard enough, Thorn could have you believing you are a six year old girl for a good 8 hours."

"I KNEW IT!"

"Dude, shut up!"

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Just don't say a word all right?"

"As if I would tell. Please," Chris replied. Damon sniffed the air abruptly.

"Do you smell cookies?" Damon asked. Chris shook his head, then nodded frantically.

"Race you down!" he said kicking the hatch open.

"You're on!" Damon replied, scaling down the rope ladder as fast as he could. Chris pushed the hatch closed and the two darted down the stairs.

* * *

Matt slammed the front door closed with his foot as he pulled his coat on. He hopped off the porch and trudged through the snow to the back yard. Sitting on the swing at the far end of the yard was Thorn. She had her sweater pulled tightly closed around her and a steaming mug in her hands; she was staring up, completely absorbed by the moonlit sky. He walked behind the swing and said, "You know the aliens won't come and get you if you act too eager."

She looked at him in vague surprise. He sat down beside her on the swing. "What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Thinking," she replied simply and stared back at the moon.

"About what?"

"Doesn't matter," she murmured. "What are you doing out here?"

"Getting away."

"From what?"

"My problems."

"Wow."

"What?" he asked, gazing at her expectantly. She didn't face him; she continued to stare straight ahead as the wind whipped her bangs around her face.

"Nothing. You just don't seem like the type to have problems. You're popular, you're smart, and you could have any girl you want in a minute. Life doesn't get much better."

"It'd seem so, but that's not the way it is. I hate being popular and having so many girls drooling over you isn't as appealing as it sounds. It's kind of annoying, actually. But that's not real life. That's just school. It's at home where my problems start."

"Well, I guess I can kind of relate," Thorn replied. Matt gazed at her. She was so honest...so real. And the way the moon lit her face made her look almost–

"Beautiful, don't you think?" she asked abruptly. He jumped and looked away nervously.

"What?"

"The moon."

"Oh, oh yeah. Yeah. Beautiful," he replied, not even glancing at the moon. "What are you drinking?" he asked, grasping for anything to change the subject.

"Herbal tea."

"Herbal tea?"

"Yeah."

"That's...um..."

"Unusual?" Thorn asked, finally turning to look at him. "I know. My mother likes it, and I guess I got a taste for it from her."

* * *

Damon slid through the kitchen door just as Chris entered through the stairway. They shared a knowing nod and raced over to the counter where Cyborg had just laid out a sheet of freshly baked cookies. Chris reached for one and Robin slapped his hand with a spatula. He recoiled quickly.

"These are for Santa," Robin said, moving the cookies from the pan to a ornately decorated plate. Chris scowled.

"I'm sure Santa won't mind if I have just _one _cookie."

"I'm sure he will, seeing as he has to share them with his elves this year," he replied, gesturing to the other Titans. "If you want a cookie, you can get one from the counter. And when you're done call everybody else in to get one."

Chris picked up a cookie and bellowed, "IF YOU WANT A COOKIE, REPORT TO THE KITCHEN IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE GROWNUPS EAT THEM ALL!"

Eight heads bounced into the kitchen and attacked the cookie sheet. Raven's eyes scanned the room. "Damon, where's your sister?"

"Huh? Pip's right there, Mom."

"No, Thorn."

"Oh," he said softly and looked around. "I don't know."

"I'm missing one, too, Rae," Robin said, searching for his son. Chris looked up.

"Oh, Matt's not missing, he went outside," he said casually, "Maybe Thorn went with him."

The Titans exchanged glances and scattered to the window.

"They out there?" Cyborg asked, hovering over the others. Robin nodded.

"What are they doing?" Beast Boy asked, attempting to see what was going on.

"It looks like they're just talking," Raven answered.

"Perhaps we should call them inside?" Starfire asked, eyeing the couple uneasily.

"I think that's a good idea," Robin replied, walking over to the back door. He stuck his head out and called, "Matt, Thorn, come inside."

"Uh-oh. They caught us," Matt chuckled. Thorn gave him a faint smile. They stood up and walked back towards the house.

A/N: Alright, guys, seeing as so many of you have asked, I will answer one question, which is: Will the kids ever find out that their parents are the Teen Titans? The answer is yes. However, I'm not going to tell you how or when, but rest assured knowing that they will find out. Oh and, as always, review and tell me if you liked it. Thanks for being so patient and have a very happy holiday!


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